MUSCAT — The Shura Council hosted His Excellency Eng. Saeed Bin Hamoud Al Mawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, who highlighted major achievements and investments across Oman’s transport, logistics, ports, digital, and communications sectors, with several projects exceeding RO 1.2 billion in the roads sector alone.

Addressing the Council, the Minister said over 60 road projects are ongoing across the Sultanate, including new construction, rehabilitation, and efficiency enhancements, with some projects already more than 70 percent complete under the Eleventh Five-Year Plan. Key initiatives include the expansion of the Muscat Expressway, set to begin in the third quarter of 2026, and the November 18 Road expansion, scheduled for completion in 2028. Revenue in the land transport sector grew 18 percent in 2025, while the “Naql” platform completed over 900,000 electronic transactions, issued 290,000 licenses, and saw public bus ridership surpass 5 million passengers.

In the ports and logistics sector, goods handling exceeded 143 million tons, with container throughput reaching 5.1 million standard containers in 2025, contributing to a 17.4 percent growth in revenues. Investment in logistics totalled RO 3.3 billion during the Tenth Five-Year Plan, with 18 new agreements valued over RO 100 million signed in 2025. Omanisation in the sector rose to 21.6 percent, with plans to further strengthen efficiency and integration.

The Minister also reported a digital transformation milestone, with 3,166 government services simplified, 2,277 services digitized, and 48 million digital transactions executed in 2025, representing a nearly 78 percent increase. Over 200 million electronic authentication operations were completed, and 2.26 billion data records were exchanged via Oman’s electronic integration platform, boosting the Sultanate to 41st globally in the 2024 E-Government Development Index.

Investments in artificial intelligence and advanced technologies surpassed RO 79 million, supporting 22 specialized startups. Oman’s communications networks expanded significantly, with mobile broadband coverage reaching 99 percent of the population and fixed high-speed fibre optic broadband achieving 100 percent coverage, including fifth-generation and satellite technologies. The Ministry reported over 11,000 national competencies qualified, Omanisation in IT reaching 45.5 percent, and Omanis occupying 69 percent of technical, specialized, and leadership positions in the sector.

Highlighting the space and digital economy sectors, the Minister noted the growth of the space industry through the launch of an experimental rocket from Duqm and the signing of an Omani satellite project. Currently, 25 companies operate in the space sector, with investments reaching RO 74 million.
The e-commerce market in Oman is estimated at RO 288 million in 2025, with more than 14,000 business licenses issued and 313 electronic stores registered on the “Maroof Oman” platform. The fintech sector is also expanding, with non-cash transactions increasing 703 percent, four new payment systems developed, and ten companies licensed.
The digital economy contributed RO 800 million in 2023, with the first national survey covering more than 1,300 institutions. The Ministry aims to raise the digital economy’s contribution to RO 1.5 billion by 2030, attract RO 300 million in foreign tech investments, add 100 new tech startups, and create nearly 14,000 jobs.